Awareness and Ignorance
by AntagonizingExorcist
Summary: Allen was aware. Aware of the Fourteenth. Aware of the sins he had done. Aware of his facade. And yet, he was ignorant. Ignorant of the future, of his fate. But then again, the whole world was ignorant. My second fic, based on a dream. If you haven't read the Ark arc, don't read. Rated T for language, blood, gore, etc. Brotherly Laven, not sure of any other pairings.
1. Chapter 1

He knew. He had been aware for a few years now, a little after he met Cross. He was aware of the Noah in him, of all of the wrong deeds he had done before. Of course, the Black Order had found out, that was bound to happen in due time. Which was why he had kept up the façade. He was not happy. He was not satisfied with being guarded constantly. But if he let his emotions go, all of the rage, sadness, desperation, than it would surely be the end of what is known as Allen Walker.

Lately though, Lenalee and the others have been seeing through the façade. Years' worth of effort would be gone to waste, and it would all come crashing down. Which was why he had to try harder. Speaking of which, Lenalee was currently asking him a question. He perked up and tilted his head to the side just a little in innocence. "I'm sorry, what was that, Lenalee?" Lenalee's frown deepened. "I asked if you were okay, Allen-kun?" "Of course, I simply spaced out." The usual response. Why? Because it was true. It was what he was thinking that had differed, though.

Not that she would know. "Ne, Lenalee, perhaps we should go to the cafeteria while we still can. I heard we have a mission soon." With her approval he then proceeded to said place, shoving those thoughts into a mental closet and locking that door. His "personality" wasn't the type to dwell on such dark thoughts, after all.

* * *

Lenalee let out a quiet sigh as Allen went up to the line to get his usual mountain of food. His answer was pretty convincing, but before that he had looked so broken and worn out. She doubted she imagined it. "What's wrong, Lenalee?" Lavi queried. "Oh, it's nothing. Allen was acting a little strange."

"Is that so…? Well, then, I guess I'd better – Yu-chan!" She looked over and saw Kanda entering with his usual sour expression.

"Che. Shut up Baka Usagi." Now that the attention was off of her, she was allowed to think. Of course, though, Allen eventually had to come back.

"Lenalee, you look like there's something wrong. Is everything okay?" He questioned. "Why would there be something wrong, Allen-kun?" He shrugged and began his meal. The day passed by fairly fast for both of them, consisting of Lavi getting his head bashed in, Kanda getting his head slapped (courtesy of Lenalee), Lenalee getting exasperated (courtesy of Kanda), and Allen pouting over being called a Moyashi.

* * *

Allen walked into Komui's office for the mission just in time to see him glomp Lenalee and cry "HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO YOU DEAR BROTHER?! GETTING MARRIED WITHOUT TELLING ME!" He sighed, feeling a little irate at the exaggerated emotion. "Komui, you had a mission for us?"

"Ah, yes." Komui straightened his glasses and leaned against the desk. Sometimes Allen wondered if Komui was Bi polar, the way he changed his emotion so fast. Lenalee shot Allen a grateful look, a blush still on her face, though it was receding.

"There have been sightings of high level Akuma in *insert city*, Russia. We have our suspicions that there may be Innocence there as well. And since this is Russia, you might want to pack something heavier than the Exorcist jacket." Lenalee nodded while Allen frowned in confusion.

"Just the two of us? If what you say is true about the high leveled Akumas then there should be a third or fourth in the group, am I correct?"

"Of course, Allen-kun! I wouldn't dare let my precious Lenalee near that many Akuma!" Komui's voice took on a whine, the one he usually accustoms to when he's about to glomp Lenalee and call anybody in the room a 'filthy octopus unworthy of Lenalee's presence and innocence'.

"Nii-san, the mission, if you don't mind." Lenalee sighed. Komui pouted but continued.

"But as for your question, there will indeed be another Exorcist with you, two in fact." He paused, deliberately trying to cause suspense. "And they would be?" Allen urged, desperately trying to hold back the irritation in his voice. Komui must of noticed it, however, because he quickly gave in.

"Lavi and Bookman will be accompanying you two, for you see, this case is pretty weird after all. Bookman would like to record what happens, and naturally Lavi would accompany him.4 Your train will be leaving in two hours." Komui handed Lenalee the folder and sat down, muttering what appeared to be about "Not able to have any fun", "Escaping work using a Komurin", and "Octopi had better not touch my Lenalee".

Allen sweatdropped and walked out of the office, and walked up to his room to get ready. He had luckily found a few sweaters and a fairly thick jacket (**A/N: You know the one that Neah wears? His is like that, but white. I felt the need to change his attire… plus, you wouldn't exactly wear a think dress shirt in Russia, from what I can tell.**) and tucked it into his suitcase, along with the other basic essentials. With that done, he walked outside to meet up with Lavi and Bookman, who he learned had simply been to Komui's office earlier than him and Lenalee.

* * *

Once Lenalee met up with them then did they make their way to the train and boarded, easily getting First class seats. Allen propped his elbow against the window's edge and his cheek on his fist. Tired as he was, he learned the hard way not to fall asleep while Lavi was near.

Yet he found himself dozing off, albeit lightly, mind you. Sure enough, within minutes, Lavi cautiously came over, with a permanent marker in hand, but before he even made a single mark on Allen's face he found a hand lightly – but warningly – gripping his throat. That made him sulk off, not that Allen cared. It was Lavi's entertainment or his face.

He preferred a clean, unmarked face.

* * *

Eventually the train reached their destination, and they sorely walked off. Except for Bookman, who tried his best not to show it and greatly succeeded.

They were all used to using the Ark to get to places, but Allen had not been able to use it this time, thanks to Link's momentary absence.

Lavi stretched and let out a huge yawn before observing the area. It was fairly desolate, which was understandable with snow lazily floating to the ground, where it was just beginning to stick. Pretty nasty weather to be out and working in, for those who think snow is fine. Try chasing an Akuma in slippery snow such as this.

"Two of us should go patrolling while the others stay here and form a plan. And since Bookman and Lavi are the best with forming plans and while I have my eye to sense Akuma than you two should stay while Lenalee and I go search for any Akuma attacks." Allen provided.

The others nodded their approval and they split up, agreeing to meet up at the hotel they were staying at.

Lenalee smiled and grabbed Allen's arm and began dragging him away, despite his bewildered expression. Eventually his shocked face turned into a smile, though, and they soon found themselves joking and laughing over tiny matters.

But Alas, all things must come to an end.

* * *

Okay, I had to get this out of my system. Part of the story (Not in this chapter) came from a dream, and I wanted to write it down before I forgot about it.

I know there wasn't much action but I promise there will be, if you review! And don't worry, I haven't given up on my other story, neither. I'm having a writer's block on that one.

Please review and let me know how you like this!

I'm at my dad's house where the internet isn't working, thanks to the weather, so I'll probably have another chapter coming up soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, here's the second chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Here's an appearance of the Fourteenth :3 I couldn't help myself.

* * *

There hadn't been any Akuma attacking yet. Allen had spotted quite a few but they didn't want to take the chance to attack them just yet, since they had yet to do anything. They were level Three, and with just the two of them against about eight, in the area at least, wouldn't end well for the Exorcists.

They were quick to make their way back to regroup with Bookman and Lavi. They entered the hotel where the rendezvous point was and entered the room. Sure enough, there the two were. Lavi looked up. "Lenalady and Moyashi! How'd the patrolling go?"

"It's Allen! And we spotted several Level Three Akuma but we didn't want to chance it, there were too many. And the plan?" Allen shouted indignantly, but quickly calmed down.

Bookman nodded his approval and spoke. "We're going to search for the Innocence together and try to avoid the Akumas. If we can get the Innocence and make it to the Headquarters without an interference then the Akumas should go elsewhere in time. Should we come across three or less we attack."

Lenalee gave a curt nod. "And if we come across more?"

"Then we attempt a distraction and retreat. But we'll fight if we have to."

Allen nodded. "Alright. For now we should rest." He looked over and frowned. Three beds. Well at least it wasn't two, he supposed. "Lenalee gets a bed to herself."

They draped a cover up so she had some privacy, and that left the three of them. "Bookman should get a bed to himself." Allen stated. Lavi looked like he was going to object but a sharp jab to the ribs stopped him. Bookman nodded and walked over to his bed.

Allen looked over to Lavi, who was bent over wheezing. "Try anything and you die." Lavi raised his hands in self defense.

With that he crawled into the bed, and went to the edge so Lavi could have some room as well. He sighed in exhaustion and let his back hit the bed, he was literally asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

* * *

Allen opened his eyes, but it wasn't the hotel he was at last night. "Where…?" He blinked a few times so the world focused, then realization hit. He was at the place where The Fourteenth, Neah, had officially introduced himself, as well as called Allen broken.

In fact, said person was currently standing in front of him.

"Welcome back, nephew." He smiled, but the smile didn't fit the air. "Why am I here?" Allen demanded

"Blunt as always, I see." Neah let the smile slip so he could smile before it immediately replaced the faked disappointment. "I need something to ask of you, if I may."

Allen was instantly wary. "…Something to ask? And what would that be?"

Neah smiled again, but this time it seemed genuine. Like a child gaining what said child wanted. "…Ne, let me 'borrow' that body of yours, okay? 'Allen'? I'll make it all the more better, and even let you watch!" Allen's eyes widened as he dawned on the fact that he had been tricked.

He opened his mouth to object, but before he could do just that the world began to go dark once again. The last thing he heard was Neah's laughter. It bordered between overjoyed and maniacal. It was then that Allen let go of the word he had held unwillingly inside his body.

* * *

"No!" He cried out. He sat up slowly and looked around. Something didn't feel right. He had shouted that, hadn't he? So why was nobody awake? They were all light sleepers, so there was no way they could have avoided it.

Allen tried to turn his head to look down at Lavi but no success came. The feeling was getting worse with each second that passed. He then tried moving a limb. His legs moved, but he was trying to move his arm!

A chuckle resonated throughout his mind, as if mentally. "Silly nephew, I told you I'd let you watch, now didn't I? I'll show you just what a Noah can do to a human."

His body, or rather, Neah, then stood up and made his way to the door, grabbing the white jacket Allen had brought with him and putting it on, as well as the boots that were actually fairly comfortable. With that, he walked out the door, easily ignoring Allen's cries to stop.

* * *

About an hour later Lavi woke. His arm had accidentally swung to the side where Allen had been, only to wake because of the loss of warmth. Lavi sat up and looked around, he didn't spot Allen anywhere. Something told him that Allen wasn't just going to the bathroom or getting a drink, neither.

Silently he stood up and slipped on his shoes and walked out the door. He didn't want to wake Panda-jii-jii just because of suspicion, the old man would certainly have his head if that happened.

He observed up and down the hallways and saw nothing. He sighed and walked out of the building, figuring he might as well take a walk while searching for the Moyashi.

He went up and down the streets, and was beginning to become nothing short of frustrated and desperate. He was tempted to simply take out his Innocence hammer and shoot into the air and scout that way, and he nearly did.

He gripped his stomach as the feeling of unease and wrongness got stronger. Had Allen got kidnapped? No, he would have put up a fight or caused enough noise to wake at least one of them up. Maybe the Noah… no, he couldn't point fingers just yet. But something kept pulling him towards the idea the Noah inside of Allen took over.

He paused by a store that was still open and bought a drink and thirstily drank from it, hoping that would be the problem. But no, if anything it only made it worse. He downed the rest of it and tossed it into the garbage can.

He turned a corner and got about halfway down it when he heard a few sickening sounds.

_Gasp._

_Pop._

_Crack._

_Splatter._

The last one almost made him want to turn back. He stopped at the corner and took a deep breath before rounding it, and came across a horrendous scene.

There was blood everywhere, along the walls, ground, and everywhere in-between. That wasn't the worst, thought.

There was body parts scattered about, an arm, leg, many internal organs, and he was fairly sure he saw an eyeball… as well as a heart, forcefully ripped out.

And standing in the middle of it was a bloodied Allen. Blood dripped off of his fingers, down his face and neck, dripping off of his chin, staining his once pure white coat. But one thing was for sure.

That blood was not his, and neither was the inhuman grin stretched on his face, nor the laughter that had started as a chuckle and escalated into a cackle.

"A…Allen!" Lavi gasped out, finding it hard to speak, thanks to the awful smell of blood and the shock. "What…"

The person, 'Allen', 'Fourteenth', 'Neah', whichever you prefer, turned his head and did the impossible. Widen the grin.

"Oh, an Exorcist! Ne, why don't you entertain me for a while, until I get bored of you?" The laugh returned, but it seemed like a child that had found something hilarious. Not a cackle, at least.

The light step was the only warning Lavi got before the white haired boy lunged, inhumanly fast.

"Dear God… Allen… did you let the Noah take over you?!"

* * *

Please… don't kill me for what I wrote in this chapter! Review, and tell me your thoughts, please~?

…I think I would be a good Noah. Don't you agree?

Random fact of the day: My favorite word in -Man is "Che" and in real "Baka(da)"

Hope you enjoyed the story and the fact of the day.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three. Strange, I've gotten these three chapters in just this one day. I guess I'm that determined… or bored. Ah, anyways… Hope you enjoy the chapter!

(When I say got done in one day, I mean typed, not published. Sorry, I lost motivation recently to post this. Reasons.)

Please review!

* * *

This was problematic. Very problematic, to say the least. Lavi could barely keep up with the speed that the Fourteenth was going at, and the only way he could stop the attacks was to land a hit on him. But he couldn't bring himself to that just yet, he was still Lavi's friend!

He knew, that somewhere in that mind that shared two consciousness's personalities, that Allen was in there. If only Allen could regain his senses…

He dodged yet again, and had to lunge forward to keep a wall from falling on top of him. He probably wouldn't last much longer… he was very aware of that. He could only hope that Lenalee or Bookman heard the commotion and ran to help.

He yelped when the Fourteenth lunged yet again, yet instead of attacking he had tackled him to the ground, his knees painfully digging into his stomach. He gasped and tried to free himself, only to have his arms pinned uselessly.

"Now now, you wouldn't want to do anything that would cost your life, would you? Or maybe…" Lavi's eyes widened. "Allen's? I am very capable of that." He stopped struggling. As much as it irked him, he couldn't do a damned thing to help Allen.

The Noah continued, "Did you know that he can hear our conversation? Say 'hello', Little Exorcist." He smirked slyly.

Lavi gasped again, though not because of the pain. "You don't mean… he saw…" He trailed off, but Neah got the point.

"Why, yes, he saw the whole thing through these eyes, as if it was he himself that did all of this. Killed all of those innocent people, and on top of that, attacked his best friend." Victory and glee was obvious by his voice alone. That smile… it was the twisted version of Allen's.

"You bastard! Why would you do something like this to Allen?! Aren't you his uncle or something?" Lavi tried to reason.

Neah shifted forward so his face was above Lavi's, still pinning him down, rendering his Innocence useless. "Ne, you shouldn't call the person who controls the fate of your friend a bastard, would you? And why? That's such a simple question, yet oh-so complicated." He sighed dramatically. "Why… I do this because I want to. I mean, I am a Noah after all, you know? I don't take pity on people." (A/N: ...Reminds me of Wisely. Does it not do the same to you?)

"Not even your nephew…" Lavi concluded.

"Bingo. You're a smart one, Little Exorcist. Just imagine how that face of his, mine, would look if I were to kill you. No, scratch that, imagine how helpless he must be feeling." Neah shivered in delight at the thought.

"It's pretty cold of you, even if you are a Noah, to be speaking of one such as Allen in that way." Lavi felt a pang when he unintentionally imagined just that. He was aware that was probably exactly the way Allen felt.

"Hmm… maybe. You know, he gave up speech a long time ago. If memory serves correct, he stopped when I started this murder."

"Allen… would never give up like that. Don't underestimate him." Lavi had a gut feeling that what he was saying was true. He had to find a way off of the ground… if only… he couldn't move his hand at all, though. If only he hadn't allowed himself to be tackled to the ground. If only, if only, of only.

"Oh no, quite the contrary, I overestimated him! I thought he would have lasted until now." He shrugged. "Well, on to different matters. Little Exorcist… I heard you were after Innocence? If you want I can destroy that piece for you~ Oh… no?" He pouted. "…Fine."

Lavi fixated a glare on the Noah. "I would never allow such a thing."

Neah sighed, "I know, I know. I was kidding! Well, I'd better go, this is getting boring. Thanks for the entertainment, Little Exorcist!" He stood (Leaped) up and leaned against the wall, and within seconds his eyes took on a blank look.

Lavi frowned and stood up, walking up the Allen/Fourteenth and waved a hand in front of his eyes. He wasn't expecting a response, so he leaped back when he did indeed get one.

"La…vi..?" A soft answer, but still and answer. Lavi reached forward and shifted Allen's hair out of his eyes, and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw those very eyes. They looked dead, but if you delved deeper you would see despair, helplessness, and anger towards himself.

He heard a gasp to his right and when he glanced over he saw Lenalee and Bookman standing there. Lenalee was already shaking and Bookman was looking fairly shocked himself. He looked back to Allen just in time to see him collapse to his knees, a hand covering his mouth. Lavi kneeled down to look Allen in the eyes. "Moyashi… are you alright?" He questioned softly.

Allen didn't even bother to respond to the nickname, nor the question, and that in itself showed that he was certainly not alright. Lavi frowned before he leaned over and pulled Allen into a hug. Allen stiffened at the contact but buried his face in the crook of Lavi's neck and he grabbed his shirt, so tightly that his hands began to bleed.

Lavi attempted to loosen his grip but he didn't budge.

"He made me watch… I killed all of these innocent people" His breathing was labored, his entire frame was shaking. "No, you didn't. It wasn't your fault." He insisted.

"It is though. I couldn't stop him from taking over. He tricked me, and I was stupid enough to go along." He tried to give a humorless laugh but he choked on it and the laugh became a sob, a shaky grin on his face.

"Don't beat yourself up because of this. He's a Noah, he's tricky. At least you managed to get back here." Lavi and Allen both knew that 'here' is this world.

"…Lavi." He stiffened. Allen's voice sounded dull, as if he had given up on life. It made him afraid to answer.

"Yeah?" "He… let me back." Allen spoke reluctantly, and it showed.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"No… he _let_ me have my body back… He can take over any time he wants to, kill anybody he wants." His voice cracked on the word 'kill'.

"That means you have to fight back. Didn't Mana tell you to keep walking? What happened to that promise?" Lavi cringed at Allen's answer. It just wasn't so like him, it chilled him to his bones. If there was one word that would describe Allen, it would be fragile.

"…" Lavi said nothing, afraid it would either break Allen completely. He simply stood up and helped Allen back to the hotel, ignoring the look that Bookman sent and the concern Lenalee was giving Allen, who looked closer and closer to snapping, be it anger or sadness.

"_It's hard to walk when people keep tripping you and holding you down."_

_Then don't let them hold you down, Allen. You're too kind for your own sake,_

_which is why you have to fight back._

_And I'll help you fight._

_I'll protect you._

* * *

I thought the ending was sweet~ Lavi made a vow to protect Allen and stand beside him! This story may contain a little Laven, but mostly a brotherly relationship.

I feel like I did terribly 3: Please review, to let me know how good/terrible the chapter was.

And yes, at the moment, I am indeed allowing flames. Go ahead and let it out of your system. I know you want to, for doing that to Allen. But it had to be done!


	4. Chapter 4

Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

It's that time of year again. I'm sick and can't smell or taste a damn thing, my lips are chapped from breathing out of my mouth and my throat hurts. All-in-all, I feel like shit.

But I'm going to update, just for the hell of it. I had this chapter just sitting in my documents, so I decided to get it over with before I forgot.

And I'm sorry for doing that to Allen but it had to be done for the plot! *prepared to dodge any flying tomatoes* Hey… but the ending was sweet, wasn't it? Anyways, on with the story.

And yes, I do have a plot for this story (kinda).

NewMoonFlicker: I'm glad you enjoy the story ^^ I wasn't really expecting any reviews. And thank you for the comment, though I'm sure I could do better. I hope your story works out, as well. Good luck~

* * *

They carried on back to the hotel for the rest of the night, after all, it was still pretty early. The sky was still completely black. Once inside the room Allen sat down on the bed and curled his knees up to his chest, placing his chin on his knees. Lavi picked up a blanket and placed it on Allen's shoulders, who didn't respond to that. He turned back to Lenalee and Bookman who were sitting on their own beds, the cover drape tugged off.

"I take it you heard us fighting?" Of course they did, how else would they have known where to go?

"Yeah… what happened?" Lenalee looked worriedly around Lavi to Allen. She wanted to hug him and tell him that everything was okay, but it wasn't. If she did that, he would probably break down or not respond at all.

"I'll tell you later." Lavi sighed and sat down on the floor beside the bed. Might as well give Allen his room. He purposely avoided Bookman's gaze that said that this wouldn't be forgotten.

"I guess… we should go back to sleep." She put the cover back up and lay down.

"Yeah." He stood up and gently laid Allen down then crawled over him onto his own side, this time turning so he was facing Allen. He seemed to have snapped out of his thoughts and tugged the blanket until it was covering his face. But Lavi didn't miss the tear that escaped.

Lavi sighed and placed his hands on Allen's shoulders, startling him. He smiled in reassurance and pulled him closer into a hug. "It's all right, you know. I'll stop him." Allen nodded into Lavi's chest, feeling comforted, and closed his eyes. He was quick to fall asleep in Lavi's arms.

Lavi, meanwhile, was awake for an hour or two afterwards. What exactly happened when he wasn't around Allen?

* * *

Once they were all awake, they decided to set the plan into action. They paired up the same as they had when they first arrived. Allen with Lenalee, and Lavi with Bookman. "Okay, let's all try to get a lead, at least." Lenalee said. The others nodded and they dispersed.

Lenalee pulled the jacket closer to herself and stuffed her hands in her pockets. She glanced over to Allen, and was relieved to see that he looked a lot better. She'd noticed that yesterday he completely lost that gleam of life and joy in his eyes, but it was back now. It wasn't near as bright, but it was still there. He caught Lenalee's staring and looked over to her in concern.

"Is everything okay, Lenalee?"

"Yes, of course! I… was just worrying about you." A blush lightly dusted her cheeks.

"Worrying about me? I'm just fine." He smiled, "Thank you for the concern, though. Are you sure you're okay? You seem to have a fever." He reached out and gently cupped her cheek, checking for any signs of said fever.

She stuttered "Y-yes I'm sure. Let's continue searching for Innocence! S-shall we?" Allen retreated his hand and frowned but nodded.

They continued their search in comfortable silence. Every here and there Lenalee would steal a glance to Allen, but all she got was a peaceful smile on his face. How was he able to recover so fast? She still wanted to know what happened, but it wasn't the time nor the place to ask such a personal question.

"Your eye hasn't caught sight of any Akuma yet?"

"I'm afraid not. I have a feeling that's not a good thing. Remember yesterday, how the town was covered? It's almost as if they completely disappeared from existence." He frowned thoughtfully.

"Hm… maybe they found the Innocence or were ordered back?" Lenalee suggested.

"No, if they were retreating then they would have to pass near us and my eye would have activated. It's the same if they found the Innocence." Allen concluded.

"Oh.. maybe we should head towards the edge of town and see if they're over there?"

"It's the best lead we have right now, so I don't see why not." Allen smiled and they changed their direction so they were going around the border of the city.

* * *

Bookman stuffed his hands into his sleeves and looked to his apprentice as they walked. "Tell me what happened." It wasn't a suggestion. It was a demand. Lavi sighed. "I wasn't there to see the whole thing, but I'll tell you what I can." After a nod from Bookman, Lavi began explaining, with incredible detail, what he saw.

"So the Fourteenth Noah took over, and basically said that he can come back any time he wants." Bookman summarized. Of course, he memorized every detail told.

"Even Allen said he could." Lavi confirmed.

"So we need to keep a watch on him. I trust Lenalee can keep anything from happening, though."

"Of course. Lenalee's strong will to protect others will surely keep the Fourteenth at bay!" Lavi cheered.

"Stupid apprentice…" Bookman muttered.

* * *

Lenalee looked around, but not a single thing seemed to be out of place. "How strange… it's as if somebody drove them off" Lenalee was too busy to notice Allen's wince.

'_Don't tell me this is my fault… then again, I think that half of the people I… killed… were Akumas.' _Allen bit his lip as the memories rushed back. It made him feel sick. Those last few thoughts made him accidentally bite into his lip, but he paid no heed.

"Allen? You lip's bleeding!" Lenalee exclaimed.

Allen started and looked up, processing what she said, and wiped away the blood. "Oh, I see. Thank you for telling me." He gave a strained smile. "Allen… why can't you tell me what's wrong?" Lenalee quietly questioned.

"I just don't feel comfortable involving people in my concerns…" Allen sighed "Then are you saying you can't involve your friends?"

"Lenalee…" He had a pained look on his face. "It's not that, I promise. I just want to involve you."

"So you can't let your friends help you, you just want to carry the burden by yourself?! We don't want to see you suffer alone!" She turned and stalked off.

"Lenalee-" "Allen, let's just get this mission over with." Lenalee cut him off, walking a fast pace ahead of him, who still had yet to move.

Allen sighed and closed his eyes, gathering his bearings. He heard a slight shuffling sound, so out of curiosity he opened his eyes. Only, he had to go cross-eyed to see what was pressed against his face.

It was a gun. Of a Level Four Akuma.

"-!"

The sound of a gunshot (Or whatever they sound like) echoed the field in which they were currently occupied in.

* * *

Sorry for the cliff-hanger… I'll keep working on it, the chapter, that is. I rather enjoy cliff-hangers.

Review, please~? And this last part, along with most of the next chapter, will be based on a dream that I had that's been eating at me to write about. (Wow, I reread this last part and realized I had a lot of typos. I must have been tired or something.)

Hope you liked the chapter!~

Now, time to listen to Vocaloid. (Meaning for me Miku, Gakupo, and Gumi. I have a loooot of their songs downloaded on my computer.)

Random Fact of the Day: Gakupo has a vocalist in a few demo songs named Gackt. Gackt tends to cosplay as Gakupo as well, and looks very much so like him when he does.


	5. Chapter 5

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy~

None of you answered my earlier question, though, the one about a new story. I don't plan on starting a new one, I still have this and my other to work on. For future use.

Anyways, on with the chapter.

* * *

The dust cleared away, leaving a considerably large crater (For a 'bullet', anyway) in the ground. Allen sat off to the side, pretty much just gaping at the Level Four.

* * *

Mini Flashback~

* * *

_Allen sighed and closed his eyes, gathering his bearings. He heard a slight shuffling sound, so out of curiosity he opened his eyes. Only, he had to go cross-eyed to see what was pressed against his face._

_It was a gun. Of a Level Four Akuma._

"_-!"_

_Allen quickly drew back, landing painfully, his head cracked against something and for a moment he could have sworn he saw stars. _

_He gathered his bearings and sat up, realizing just how close he was to death. It wasn't the bullet's poison that worried him, it was the fact that it was aimed for his face. That's kind of hard to survive, you know?_

_He bit his lip in contemplation and waited for the dust to clear._

* * *

End Mini Flashback~

* * *

As said dust cleared, he looked up to the grinning face of the Level Four, who in turn frowned at seeing him still alive.

"Oh, you're still alive. Shame, you're nimble." Allen shivered at the childish voice, and tried to keep his eye from activating.

"I'm surprised you expected less from an Exorcist. Then again, you're only an Akuma. I'll do you a favor and save your soul quickly." He responded, mentally invocating his Innocence. He felt a warm sensation come over him when his precious Crowned Clown wrapped itself around him and felt a small smile, or maybe smirk, tug over his lips.

"Save me? Hah! Like I'd want to be saved!" The Level Four took aim once again.

Allen quickly decided to use his Exorcist sword, knowing that a Level Four was not something you wanted to screw around with. He grabbed his wrist and tugged, until it became said sword.

He tilted his head to the side, an unreadable expression on his face. "You know… I still have to get my revenge for you trying to shoot my face off." He then smiled (...or was it a smirk?) and swung his Exorcist sword once before lunging.

* * *

Lenalee paused and hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. She could have sworn she heard some kind of explosion, so she waited for a few seconds, calming her breathing. She didn't hear anything, so she settled into a somewhat shaky walk.

Little did she know that there was someone trailing behind her, a curious Akuma. For some reason the Akuma was waiting. For what? Only said Akuma knew, and maybe the Noah Family.

If she had been paying attention to her surroundings, she would have noticed the Akuma. And the fact that Allen had yet to catch up to her.

* * *

Lavi looked around, he had an air about him that practically spelled 'Hyperactive Rabbit'. "Oi, Panda-Jii-jii, aren't Lenalady and Moyashi-Chan supposed to be here by now?"

Bookman slapped him upside the head (**A/N: REVENGE OF THE PANDA!**) with a glare before answering, ignoring Lavi's indignant cry (Whine). "They only left a few minutes ago, unless they used Lenalee's Innocence to search the area quickly – Which, might I add, would be rather careless – Then it will take a while. Idiot apprentice."

Lavi calmed down if only by a little and stretched as he responded. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Something doesn't feel right, though. Perhaps we should split up and search for them."

"In a few minutes." Bookman sighed, knowing that was the best he was going to get out of Lavi, and vice versa.

Lavi fidgeted restlessly but let the subject drop for a while.

* * *

Allen ducked a kick and swung his Exorcist sword, making the Akuma retreat. He straightened up and panted. Damn, it just had to be a Level Four.

"Tired already, Exorcist?" Said Akuma laughed, its voice sickeningly sweet. It made Allen shiver in disgust. "Perhaps. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up yet." For some reason Allen took note of those wings and felt the urge to rip them out. Such graceful wings for something so demonic.

Allen gripped his side, where he had been shot. It was bleeding profusely, he made a mental note to patch it up as soon as possible when given the opportunity.

The Akuma opened his mouth, Allen had thought it was only going to say something, so he mentally prepared himself for that childish voice. But what came out had got him completely off guard.

The Level Four let out a literal ear piercing wail. Allen cried out and dropped to his knees, his hands over his ears and clenched his teeth. That did nothing to help, though. He felt something wet and stick rolling down the side of his face, and instantly knew it was blood. He felt his vision blurring, and by the time the Akuma stopped he never took notice.

Getting such a close up of the shriek had made him lose his sense completely. He was still gripping his head, a silent scream passing through his throat. The Akuma sat back and admired its work. It didn't want to kill the Exorcist off just yet, he still was out of it.

After a minute or two, Allen's hands slowly dropped down to his sides. He was panting harshly, and glared up at the Akuma. Said Akuma opened its mouth, and started mouthing words. Yet nothing reached his ears. Surely the Akuma was joking, right? Playing a harsh trick on him?

Just to test it Allen opened his mouth and tried to speak. "What are you…?" Was what he had been planning on saying. Again, nothing formed. It turns out that this wasn't the Level Four's idea of a joke, after all.

Allen's eyes widened just a fraction before they narrowed again. It was nothing that Bookman couldn't attempt to take care of once he got back. He shakily stood up and pointed the broadsword at the Akuma, who was obviously taking joy in his momentary deafness. He frowned lightly and charged forward, with a new burst of strength.

Unfortunately for the Akuma, it hadn't expected the Exorcist to be so quick and before it knew what was happening it only had one arm. It screamed curses, not that it would reach the Exorcist's ears.

Allen drew back, but the Akuma wasn't done just yet. It reached out, quick as lightening, and grabbed onto Allen by his hair. Allen's hands reached up to try to pull the Level Four's away, but he never made it.

He was quickly and mercilessly slammed onto the ground a few feet away. Allen rolled before coming to a stop, where he numbly sat up. He gripped the side of his head, ridding of the feeling that he was swaying.

He stood up, leaning on his sword, and observed the Akuma. He was gripping what was left of his arm, hatred flaring in his eyes.

They both lunged at the same time, one of anger and one of desperateness. After sever minutes of simply dodging and attacking, landing a few minor hits on the other, the Akuma got frustrated.

He ducked under the lunging Allen and within seconds said Exorcist was once again sent flying, a new wound on his stomach. He groaned and attempted to stand up, when somebody's foot was placed, not so lightly, upon his chest, adding just enough pressure to add a numb pain. Well, Akumas certainly knew weakness points, that was for sure.

He relaxed back onto the ground, knowing that if he struggled it would only result in a broken rib, or completely crushed chest altogether.

The Level Four reached down, hand enclosing on Allen's neck, and pulled him up, not giving a shit if he was choking the Exorcist or not. Then again, Allen did not give a shit about how the Akuma had one arm missing, courtesy of him. No shits were given.

Said Akuma tightened its grip, until it had the Exorcist gasping for air. Good. "I'm afraid play time is over, Exorcist." It grinned and had been fully planning on ending the Exorcists life when it felt a sharp pain in its chest. It looked down and saw what the pain was. Hard not to, when you see a sword sticking all the way through you.

It growled and cut off Allen's air supply completely. Allen's eyes narrowed but he didn't panic. He tightened his grip on his Exorcist sword and twisted. He either didn't notice or didn't care about the fact that him and the Akuma were nearing the edge of the land, below, enough feet down to give you a free fall, was the river, its current obviously fast, if the splashes against the rocks or the darkness meant anything. Just as he felt his vision blurring, he was able to breathe.

He greedily sucked in the air and opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them. He saw the Akuma, having let go of its grip, fall down to the ground, where it exploded a few seconds later. He landed unsteadily on his feet, heels over the edge.

He looked into the distance and saw Lenalee. She was running as fast as she could, using her Dark Boots. Her mouth opened and formed words, but once again Allen couldn't comprehend what she was saying. But it looked like she was saying, screaming, "Allen".

He blinked slowly, and was prepared to take a step forward, when he felt the world spinning. His eyes widened in surprise, and he looked down to the ground. Or rather, up at the ground. His feet had slipped, or perhaps the edge had crumbled away, leaving him freefalling to his guaranteed death.

* * *

Lenalee gasped and ran forward as quick as she could. Yet, no matter how fast she went, she couldn't catch up to him in time. His expression had only been mildly surprised, as if he had been expecting that.

She flew over the edge, just in time to see Allen's body crash into the dark waters, and widened her eyes in shock. "A-Allen-kun…" Her voice was already cracking, she felt a dull pain in the back of her throat, the first signs that she was going to break down into tears.

She rose back up onto the ground, where she dropped to her knees, and within seconds something wet continuously hit her legs. She realized them easily to be her tears, seeing as how her vision was blurred and she felt something running down her cheeks.

She stayed there for she didn't know how long, until she heard soft footsteps making their way over to her. She raised her head hopefully, hoping that it was Allen. That it was a mean joke, or that he had even climbed out and back onto land. She'd be happy with either, as long as he was safe.

She couldn't help but feel disappointed when she saw it was only Lavi and Bookman. Lavi, whom had been looking around in astonishment at the damage, immediately ran to her and kneeled down to her level. "Are you okay? What happened?" Bookman slowly made his way up to the two, and looked around.

As Lenalee gave her side of the story, which wasn't very much, she tried her best not to come to tears again, but that ultimately failed.

Lavi frowned and pulled Lenalee into a hug and looked over the edge. "And the Akuma is gone? Allen must have had a tough fight, a Level Four."

"Y-yeah, I think so… there are Akuma remains on the ground." Lenalee managed to respond.

"..We should search along the river to see if we find him." Bookman suggested, and automatically started walking.

Lenalee nodded numbly and followed, that last image of Allen in her head. The last thing she saw was him smiling reassuringly up at her, not his Mana smile, but a genuine one.

* * *

A few hours later

* * *

An Akuma made its way to the Earl's office. He seemed to be carrying something, and it most certainly wasn't lightweight. It proceeded to report to the Earl. "Ooh! 3 This is perfect! Our plans will become that much easier without Walker fighting us now! 3 You are dismissed, my dear Akuma." The Millennium Earl cheered gleefully, and the Akuma dragged the cold body out of the room, away to who knows where. The body's head drooped to the side as it was carried away.

* * *

Okay, I finished it. I did my best to make it longer, I hope this made you happy (No sarcasm at all intended.) ^^ Please do review.

And don't worry, I'm not done with the story yet. I still have a while to go, so don't give up on me yet, please.

Mwahahaha! Major Cliff-Hanger? Yeah, yeah, go ahead and flame me, it won't change what I did. Once again, I repeat, it had to be done for the story. If you read this far by now and don't like what I just did, then you're a little weird, seeing as how there was Allen-torture at the beginning. This is based on a dream, and I plan on sticking to the dream.

And in case I don't manage to get a new chapter out before then, Happy Valentine's Day! I am single and proud of it! *dances* Pfft, who needs a Valentine's partner when you have anime and manga? Not me, that's who!


	6. Chapter 6

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy~

I'm sorry it took so long to update, I keep on getting distracted. Whether it's my narcissistic friend, stress/frustration, or just out of inspiration.

Since I am writing this chapter, I want to ask if you guys are still interested in the story. If you are, I'll keep writing. If you're not, I'll either start a new fanfiction or just stop for a while.

Also, there's an extra near the bottom, if you're interested. Though it's a lame attempt for humor.

On with the story.

Note: This is going to take place a few months after the last chapter.

* * *

Lenalee walked out of Komui's office, having just been assigned a mission. She sighed in exhaustion and walked down the hall, to her own room.

Beside her, Lavi was droning on about another girl he met, though it didn't have as much spirit as it had before. The reason as to why was obvious, and for that he had gotten numerous lectures from Bookman.

It was hard to do, not staying involved. Especially when your friend, no, scratch that, when your younger brother, was lost to war. They never even found the body, they couldn't have a proper funeral because of said problem. That had frustrated him to no end, but nothing could be done about it.

Lavi paused to catch a breath and glanced over to Lenalee to see if she was still listening. She was looking to the side, at the door leading to Allen's room. She bit her lip and forced herself to look away. Lavi frowned and made a mental note to try to talk to her about it later.

The two parted a few minutes later to get ready for their mission.

* * *

A pair of silver eyes darted, slowly, mind you, around the room. The only thing said person saw was white. White, on the walls, the bed sheets, ceiling, you name it. The person frowned and stood up, paying little heed to the way that his body swayed slightly.

He staggered over to the door, and made his way out. He silently thanked God that he was not in a hospital gown, or whatever somebody would wear in his situation. He walked down the hall, gaining his balance as he worked out his muscles.

He was obviously out of shape, if the noodle-like feeling he was getting from his legs was any worth, and the fact that his mind was a jumbled mess.

He looked around his surroundings, and noticed that this was definitely not a hospital. Ornament objects hung from the wall, every here and there, as well as there being a rug beneath his feet.

Just as he was beginning to think of himself as lost, he heard quiet footsteps behind him. But before he could turn around and see who it was, there were already arms draping over him. He startled slightly, and looked to one side.

On his right was a surprisingly dark-skinned teenager. Obviously rebellious, black hair going down to touch his back just below his shoulders. He also had makeup surrounding one eye. He was dressed in a white attire, the white shirt unbuttoned to leave his chest exposed.

To his left, was an also dark-skinned teen. Black makeup around his eyes, vaguely reminding him of a clown. Wavy, blond hair cascaded down his back, landing around midway. He, too, was dressed in a white attire.

"You know you're going the wrong way, right?" The black haired one smirked. "We'll lead you, since we can't exactly do much else."

The whitenette nodded, a light blush on face. He had the feeling that he shouldn't completely trust the two, but he had no other choice but to follow them.

It then clicked in his mind that he never told them where he was going, but even he didn't know. He frowned and glanced over to the two, who was swinging guns around as if they were toys.

Yeah… he definitely didn't want to get on their bad side.

After a minute or two of walking they finally reached a large room, with a long, rectangular, table in the middle. It had a dark aura about the room, and he involuntarily shivered.

Gathered around said table were a certainly large amount of people, all whom contained the strange dark skin. The strangest one, though, had to be the one at the end of the table. For basic descriptions, a fat, purple man with a top hat.

Said people looked up at his entrance and various emotions became expressed on their faces. Interest, wariness, glares, worry, you name it. Some just had a look of indifference.

"Allen-kun~!" A girl called out and ran up to him. She had no hesitation in glomping said person and tackling him to the ground with a loud _Thump_.

The twins fortunately had just barely enough sense to move out of the way. They snickered down to the two 'lovebirds', as they would call it, and walked over to their seats, dropping unceremoniously into said chairs.

Allen (Apparently that was his name) had to go cross-eyed so he could look into both of the girl's eyes, who was so close that their noses were touching. "…And you are?" He questioned.

The girl frowned and turned to the Millennium Earl. "I thought you said that he wouldn't get amnesia!" She pouted.

"I said there was a chance he might now, not that it wasn't guaranteed." The Earl chuckled at her antics. "Come, let's skip to the introductions." Road dragged Allen over to a seat, who willingly sat down. Getting up so suddenly had made him a little dizzy. "I'm Road Camelot~" She chirped and sat down beside him."

One by one the others were introduced.

The Earl, Toraido, Tyki, Wisely, Shyril, Maashiima, Lulubell, and Maitora.

Allen hadn't noticed the twins leave their spots and creep behind him. Without any warning, they both wrapped an arm around the poor whitenette's (A/N:..I didn't spell that wrong, did I?) shoulders. He startled as they introduced themselves.

"I'm Debbit," Claimed the black-haired one.

"And I'm Jasdero~!" The blonde one seemed to copy, or go along with, at least, everything that… Debbit… said or did.

"And together we are Jasdevi!~"

Allen warily looked between the two. It wasn't that he disliked them, they just had a… air… about them that he didn't like. One would call it mischief. He felt a faint tug on the back of his mind, obviously said mind was being reminded of somebody, but before he could come up with an image of who the person was, it was gone. He sighed mentally and focused his attention back to the Earl.

He slowly processed their names and faces before asking a question. "…Why do you all have such dark skin?" This got several incredulous stares while the Earl chuckled again and began to explain exactly who they were.

By the time Earl was done explaining, Allen was certain that by now he'd be dizzy. Tyki saw his confused face and smirked. "Perhaps we should give Shounen here a break and eat dinner, Earl." With a nod of approval from him, the Akuma came in and served everybody food as usual.

Allen startled when he was an Akuma, a Level Two, and inched away. "Th-that's what an Akuma looks like?" He squeaked. His surprise, and maybe even fear, should one look closely enough, was obvious.

"Indeed, though their appearances and powers differ on the level." Millennium Earl saw his discomfort and ordered the Akuma away. When the last Akuma was gone Allen visibly relaxed.

"Now…. Onto other matters, such as the Dark Order. They haven't made much progress lately, so we should make plans now while they're as inactive as they are. They may be up to something, or perhaps.. mourning somebody's death. Should it be the former, we must stop them before they go through with the plans." Allen heard the slight pause before the mentioning of a person's death, and he couldn't help but wonder why that was mentioned.

Sure, people die in war, but why would a single person's death hold them back? …The Millennium Earl had spoken as if he knew exactly who had died, and why. Allen made a mental note to ask him about it later, once he had mustered up the strength(courage).

The Noahs leaned in, including Allen, and curiously listened.

* * *

Lavi sighed and leaned on his Innocence hammer tiredly. "That's the last of them, Lenalee. We should head back." They'd already recovered the Innocence and had been planning on making their way back, but a few Akuma just so happened to catch sight of them.

Lenalee nodded and deactivated her Innocence. Halfway through the battle, it had started raining. As if to alert the Exorcists of something, or mourn the loss of a person. '_Maybe the angels were still mourning over-' _

She quickly cut off that train of thought. Despite the fact that it was a few months ago, she still felt like a hole had been torn in her heart. Well, wouldn't most people feel the same?

Even Kanda, who regularly had rants and fights against Allen, seemed more withdrawn and quiet than usual. Lavi didn't dare to mess with the Samurai much anymore, for fear that he would truly lose a limb or his other eye.

Lenalee and Lavi made their way back to HQ, fortunate enough to not come upon any more Akuma.

* * *

Alright, finished. To make up for it(Hopefully), I'll add in a random extra.

* * *

With the Noah:

Currently, most of the male Noah were gathered around a table, courtesy of Allen. Said Noah consisted of the ever stubborn Tyki, Maitora, Jasdero and Debbit, Maashiima, Toraido, Shyril, and even the Earl himself(He had to play in his human form, because none of the aforementioned Noah wanted to see a chubby man strip).

Wisely had refused to join. He could have won, but it would obviously be through cheating(As though Allen wasn't doing it).

Road had attempted to join, but was locked out of the room immediately.

The only ones who hadn't lost their senses by now were Allen, of course, and Maitora. The others were pouting, in some form of another.

The Earl was sitting in a corner, muttering to himself about how he regretted being here. Jasdevi were waving their guns around and throwing anybody who dared interfere death threats. Maashiima just sat there, glaring at the world(He would be roaring with laughter at the others' reactions if not for the fact that he was semi-naked). Tyki insisted he try again, and was mentally throwing curses to the 'innocent' white haired boy.

Maitora was one of the lucky few that still had clothing other than underwear on. Allen was watching them all with an amused grin on his face. Shyril was a few feet away from the Earl.

Tyki finally gave up and sighed. "Allen can still kick our asses, even with amnesia!" That earned muttered complaints from the group.

"Allen… why did it have to be strip poker?" Shyril also sighed. He was just glad Road was not in here to see this.

"Wouldn't normal poker be boring, though?" The kid in question replied, with an innocent expression on his face.

"Never play poker with Allen Walker…" Earl shook his head slowly. "Allen-pon.. couldn't you have gone easy on us?"

"…No?"

More moans from the Noah. They then agreed to never play poker with Allen again, much to his disappointment.(Oh well, it wasn't like he couldn't slip away to a bar or something.)

* * *

But all hell broke loose when Road formed a door and entered into the room.

She had one foot stuck out, frozen in spot. "…."

"….." the Noah also froze.

"MY PRECIOIUS ROAD! I'M SO SORRY YOU HAD TO SEE US LIKE THIS!" Shyril wailed.

Road turned on her heel and walked out, her face frozen in shock. Timcanpy had secretly recorded the whole thing, and escaped out of Road's door just before it closed.

* * *

~End!~

If you have any question, requests, statements, etc., then you can ask in a review or PM me. I should be able to reply quickly.

Oh, I'm always open for ideas ^^ Don't be afraid to tell me if you have an idea you would like in the story.(I would credit you, unless you requested not to be.)


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